Computing scale with interchangeable charts



Apr. 17, 1923.

G. M. LuDLow COMPUTING SCALE WITH INTERGHANGEABLE CHARTS Filed Mar. 10, 1921` and Patented Apr. 17, 1923.

UNITED STATES GEORGE M. LUDLOW, 0F CHICAGO, ILLINOIS,

Application filed March 10, 1921.

parted to indicators inthe form of drums a citizen of .fol

tions, eral calibrations and associated pricelist.

It has heretofore been the practice to mount the translatingun'it, or parts thereof, directly upon the chart drums in scales of this kind, so that when it with calibrated chart, it was necessary to disasseciate the elements of the translating unit. This so disarranged the relations of the delicately adjusted mechanism and involved such duplication f parts with the charts that t e practice has been to substitute an entire scale When a different calibration was desired.

One object of the so construct a and adjustment of the Weighing mechanism and'with aminimum cost of parts associated withthe charts, scale once sold in use may be changed ata minimum Accordingly, one feature of the motion imparting member entlyof the chart d erabl ing became necessary PATENT OFFICE.

Serial No. 451,205.

chart drum through its in driven relation to said j a bodily movement transverse disturbing the its connections mot-ion imparting member or subordinate e loading element. .feature incident invention consisL one end of the ating unit, and

releasably supporting pon the transla ing unit. Another object of the irection of its a iiexible conbarrel and having the chart drums, both in the Vd axis and transversely thereto, nector Wound upon the ing the flexible connector under absorbing the shock of which one or both of the actuating elements might otherwise impose upon the flexible connector and the parts which `it drives.

e accompanying drawing` 4ignre l is -a front elevation of a scale of the type in which the present invention is preferably embodied.

Figure 2 is a vertical section through the upper portion of the scale shown in Figure l.

Figure 3 is a transversesection on the line 3X-3 of Figures l .and 2.

vier-7 of the translatdetail vievv of the movable i bearing for the outer end of a chart drum;

` ment, Vand and Figure 6 is a detail view showing a modified construction of translating unit.

1 represents the base, 2 the supporting column, and 3 the upper casing of a computing scale of knoivntype, which generally embodies in its construction a loading platform 4, a Window 5 through which the scaleA is read, and a price bar G, lVithin the casing 3 are chart drums 7, the steelyard rod 8, and counterbalancing springs 9 which develop reciprocatory movements translated to the drums 7 as rotary or oscillatory move- Which may be of known construction'except as hereinafter noted.

According to the present invention, the rod 8 Which constitutes the loading element, and which is dravvn coivnward by the load on the platform and upivard by the counterbalancing springs 9, is connected with the drum or drums 7 through the medium of a translating unit 10 that is supported in bearings 11 Wholly independent of the drum 7 and in permanent relation to the reciprocatory loading and counterbalancing elements by which it is moved; and the drum 7, which may thus be made of very simple construction and comprising merely a shaft 7- for supporting the cylindrical surface of the drum upon whichl the chart is mounted, is carried at one end in the socket 12 of the translating unit and itsothei' end in the bearing 13, with readily releasable driving connection in said socket 12 and sufficient adjustability in the bearing 18 to permit the drum to be Withdrawn from the translating` unit and readily removed from the scale and replaced by a drum bearing a different chart Whenever desired.` Bearing 13 preferably consists of a frame 13 with guides 13b to receive the shaft 7, and anti-friction Wheels 13C upon -which said shaft rests; said frame 13 resting` yupon the xed bracket 14C and adjustably secured thereto by set screw 15.

The casing 3 of the scale is preferably divided and provided with a movable closure 3a corresponding substantially to the transverse projection of the cylinder of the chart hinged at 3b and having` its free edge at 3?, so that it can be opened up, as suggested in dotted lines in Figure 3,'to give acess to the chart drum and permit its removal. Thus the supporting frame for the chart and the translating device are maintained intact, and the chart is renderedremovable bodily in a direction transverse to its axis Without disengaging the steelyard rod or the vertically reciprocating member which it actuates. ln the preferred and illustrative embodiment herein disclosed, the rotary member of the translating device likewise left undisturbed.

Translating unit 10 consists of a barrel 10n having shouldered trunnions 10b resting in the bearings 11a of the brackets 1l, and about this barrel 1G Wound a flexible connector i6, the ends of which are connected to yoke 1T mounted 'on the upper end of the rod S so that the yoke is adapted to impart rotary movement in both direction to the barrel 10, A resilient element 16a is preferably interposed between the flexible connector 16 Vthe yoke l? for the combined purpose of keeping the iiexible connector tautand taking up sudden movement transmitted through the flexiblevconnector. Bis shown in and Ll, the flexible connector is in the form of a round strand, but as suggestedin Figure 6 it may be in the form of a flat tapeI 16X, and it may have at bottom to absorb the by throwing the load upon the platform as Well as keeping the flexible connector taut.

ln referring to the translating unit as being in counterbalancing elements in the speci cation and claims, it is intended to convey the condition of having the translating unit, Which must accurately interpret the movements of the loading` and counterbalancing elements, so related to those elements that it will not be necessary to readjusttheir connections in order to remove or replace a chart. ln some instances it may be necessary `to shift the translating unit in releasing and reengaging a chart member, but this will be done Without disarranging the transmitting value of the connections with the translating unit.

The scale will preferably have means for readily substituting one price-strip for another, and accordingly, Window 5 that rcceives the price-strip 6 VWill be constructed in the movable member 3a of thel casing 3, and said price-strip is made to slide readily into and out of the track provided by the confining rails 21.

Counterbalancing springs 9 are suspended from the top rail 18a of the main supporting frame 18, and sustain the load to be weighedV through the medium of the yoke 19 suspended from the lower ends of the springs of the sleeve rod 8 and and fitted around the neck 20a 20 which is threaded upon the .therefore capable of adjusting rod 8 vertically vwith relation to the springs and thereby zeroizing the scale.

l claim: e

l. In a scale, a rotary cylindrical chart, axial bearings in which said chart is .releasably vmounted, and a casing for said. chart having a movable Wall corresponding in position to the geometrical projection of the chart in al direction transverse to the axis of the shock or TEigures .2 y

its resilient member 16A shock developed.v

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axial bearings chart, and providing by its movement an opening that permits removal of the chart bodily .inv the direction of such projection.k

2. In a scale, a rotary cylindrical chart, releasably mounting said chart, motion transmitting means `having releasable driving connection with said chart, and a casing surrounding said chart having a wall corresponding in position'to the geometrical projection of the chart in a direction transverse to its axis of insertion; said wall being movably mounted and permitting the chart, independently of its bearings and transmitting means, to beremoved and replacedv bodily in the direc-V tion of such projection.

3. vIn fa scale, a casing, a cylindrical chart having an axialshaft through which it is rotatably supported, bearings in said `casing adapted to receive and release said shaft at will, and a motion transmitting member mounted in said casing, independently of said shaft but imparting rotary motion thereto; said casing having a movable wall corresponding in position to the geometrical projection of the cylinder of the chart in a direction transverse to its axis of revolution, and permitting removal and replacement of a chart independently of its bearings and motion transmitting member.

4. A weighing scale having loading and counter-balancing elements, an indicating chart, and a divided driving spindle, one part of which is connected with the loading and counterbalancing elements in translating relation thereto, and the other part of which is connected with the indicating chart and has separable driving connection with the spindle part first named.

5. In a weighing scale,-loading and counterbalancing elements, a chart for indicating weights corresponding to the movements of said elements, a divided spindle having one part in translating relation to the loading and counterbalancing elements and its other part connected with the chart, and a coupling adapted to connect said spindle parts and to insure their union With the readings of the chart in true interpretative relation tothe movements of said elements.

6. An interchangeable chart scale, comprising an oscillatory indicating chart, a translating unit for driving the same, and a spindle divided into driving and driven parts, of which the driving part is mounted independent of the driven part and incorporated in the translating unit, and the driven part has separable connection with the driving part and is carried by and removable from the scale with the indicating chart.

7. An interchangeable chart scale, comprising an oscillatory indicating chart, a translating unit for driving the same, and a spindle divided into driving and driven parts of which the driving part is mounted independent of the driven part and incorporated in the translating unit, and the driven part has separable connection with the 'driving part and is carried -by and removable from the scale with the indicating chart; means being provided for assembling the parts of said spindle in predetermined circumferential relation to insurev proper indication by the chart of the position of the translating mechanism.

8. In a weighing scale having loading and counterbalancing elements and an indicator therefor, a translating unit for transmitting movement to the indicator from said elements, and a mounting supporting said translating unit independently of said indicator; said indicator having means releasably supporting 'it in driven relation to said unit. v

9. In a weighing scale having and counterbalancing elements and an indicator therefor, a translating unit for transmitting movement to the indicator from said elements, and a mounting supporting said translating unit independently of said indicator; the unit being constructed with a support for the indicator; and the indicator being provided with means for releasably holding it in said support.

l0. In a weighing scale having loading and counterbalancing elements and an indicator therefor, a translating unit interposed between the indicator and said elements, bearings supporting said unit independently of the indicator, means carried by said unit for releasably supporting one end of the indicator, and a support for the opposite end of the indicator movable to release the indicator from said unit.

11. In a Weighing scale, loading and counterbalancing elements, -a plurality of indicators for said elements, and a translating unit interposed between said elements and indicators supported independently of the indicators, and having independent releasable driving connections therewith.

12. In a. weighing scale, loading and counterbalancing elements, a pair of coaxially arranged chart drums, and a translating unit supported between said drums but independently thereof, and having driven connection with each of said elements.

13. In a weighing scale having reciprocatory loading and counterbalancing elements and an oscillatory indicator, a translating unit interposed between the indicator and said elements, and means mounting said unit independently of said indicator; said unit comprising a rotary member constructed for releasably receiving the indicator and -a reciprocatory member for driving said rotary member.

14:. In a Weighing scale having reciproloading catory loading and counterbalancing elements and an oscillatory indicator, a translating unit interposedbetvveen the indicator and said elements, and-means mounting said unit independentlyof said indicator; said unit comprising a rotary member constructed to receive the indicator, and a flexible member Wound on said rotary member and driving the latter in both directions.

15. In a Weighing scale, a reciprocatory loading element, a counterbalancing element therefor, a rotary vbarrel oscillated by said element, means supporting said barrel with freedom of rotation, a pair of chart drums coaxially alinedl with said barrel and each supported at one end by saidbarrel, and bearings supporting the ends of said drums Which'are remote from said barrel. i

- 16; ln a .Weighing scale, Weighing mechanism, a movable chart for indicating` moveings of said chart; said scale having a casing mounting pricewith a movable Wall that permits the introduction and removal of the chart;y said movable Wall carrying said price-strips.

Signed at Chicago, Illinois, this 8th day of March, 1921.

" GEORGE M. LUDLoW. 

